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Monday, August 1, 2011

Stiletto Hardware

As a bona-fide shoe lover, I've had to spend a good amount of time, money, and effort experimenting with products that are meant to improve shoe fit. I've got a vast array of inserts and pads that have been deployed in various ways, and most of them help a little. But none are perfect.

This pair of Seychelles heels is actually the right size, but because my foot slips down the slope of the sole when I stand up, they gap at the back. They're incredibly uncomfortable for that reason, and I've pretty much stopped wearing them. I've tried using cushioned inserts to alleviate this problem, but they are so thick that they push my toes up against the shoe vamp. Here's the shoe with no padding whatsoever. You can see the gap at the back:

The ball of foot cushion, on the other hand, simply keeps my foot in place - all the while adding some extra softness below my feet - and vastly improves overall fit. Here's the shoe with the Stiletto Hardware cushion inserted:

I used both the heel and slender ball of foot cushions to tweak the fit of these Tsubo sandals. These shoes are both slightly long and slightly wide on me, but the two cushions reposition my feet and add just enough padding to perfect how these adorable shoes sit on my feet.

I'm delighted to have a set of all three Stiletto Hardware products to give away to one lucky Already Pretty Reader. Here's what you've got to do to enter:

i could certainly use these products in any of my high heels for a little added comfort, especially a great pair of maroon heels that i can only wear when i know i'll be doing nothing but sitting all day! thanks for the giveaway!

I would put these in a pair from London that my mother bought for who-knows-why, because they are a bit big on me and her foot is several sizes smaller. I have a few other high heels, but either they fit (I was intrigued about Tsubos because of you Sally!) or I pretty much never wear them (the garishly rhinestoned, awesomely-over-the-top spike heels I bought to attend a few wedding parties in Laos).

I have a lovely pair of peep toed black pumps that I bought two years ago and have worn exactly - never. They felt fine in the store. Now I can't walk from one room to the other (I rarely wear heels anymore so I think the height of these makes my foot slide forward) without the heel popping off and my foot cramping from trying to cling to the shoe! cathyannjohnston@gmail.com

I have a pair of Steve Madden high heeled sandals that my feet slide too far forward in. My pinky toes always end up sticking out of the side, in the spaces between the straps. These pads should fix that issue!

My Iron Fist brand sky-high heels definitely need these!! I've tried many other kinds of padding, and they are always either too thick or not soft enough. I would love to give the Stiletto Hardware line a try!

I don't where heels much because they hurt the balls of my feet when I walk on hard surfaces (and i teach college so that is for extended periods). I would try them in a pair of black pumps, and a pair of black heeled boots. I might buy more heels if they work.

My beautiful, impractical wedding shoes from ModCloth. I suffered in them for 8 hours straight on my wedding day, but can't bring myself to wear them again without some modification. They have the same problem as your first-mentioned pair -- my toes slide forward, and it makes the arch be in the wrong place and my toes hurt.

The ball-of-foot cushion, extra slender, would be *perfect* in the pair of black, low-heeled Sofft mary jane style pumps I just bought. I get that teensy bit of extra space behind my heel in them that you describe (and show!) here.

Maybe the regular-sized ball-of-foot cushions would go well in my higher-heeled black pumps...

What a brilliant giveaway! I have a pair of black t-strap sandals that I absolutely love, but my feet always slide forward in them and they become very uncomfortable. I would love to be able to wear them again!!

I have a beautiful pair of BCBG red patent leather wedges that I have never worn due to the space in the heel and I have the same problem, putting something back there squishes my toes up the front. I could use the ball of the foot! Pretty cool

I love these red pumps http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004CKJZJ6I just got, but my foot slides down to make a little gap at the heel (similar to Sal's above) I'm a huge shoe doctoring fan, and these products look terrific and just the ticket to be running aroud in my pumps in no time! SAJohnstone at gmail.com

I've got a pair of pointy toed patten leather stilettos with zipper accents, that I love to bits, but my foot slides down into the front and scrunches up my toes painfully, I could really use help with those!

So many of my shoes need fitting help... but I just got a new pair of lime green Seychelles sandals that need a heel cushion and a ball of foot cushion to make them comfortable... so I hope I get picked!

I have two pairs of pumps and a couple heeled booties which would definitely benefit from these inserts! I'm between whole-sizes and have slightly wider feet and I'm usually in denial about my shoe's fit issues...this could be a great help and give my shoes some more use!Thanks for the giveaway! h6davis at gmail dot com

All my pumps need the ball of foot cushion. I have broad feet and most times I end up going a 1/2 size up because a) I can't find wide width shoes, b)the wide widths I find are so darn ugly there is no way I'm spending my money on them.

Oh gosh... I am cursed with average-to-wide (but narrow-arched) size 5 feet, which means that most of my shoes are a little too big for me. But I would probably use these inserts on my size 6 classic black pumps, which I've had for years--literally since before I realized that my feet weren't going to grow any more, back in middle school.

I've got a pair of Irregular Choice shoes (Trixxie, in silver with a reptilian print and a 'broken' heel) that absolutely demand some cushioning. They are fabulously quirky but they slide off my feet. I'd love to be able to wear them more often!

Thank you so much for posting about these products. I've recently become aware that my feet are two different sizes, so I started buying the larger size and needing to adjust the right foot's fit with add-ons. I will be looking into Stiletto Harddware's many options to see what works best for me.

There's a great pair of black (with natural color border) canvas wedges I've been using ALL summer, but which are just killing the ball of my foot. Sounds like I just found the perfect solution!

I'm a US 4.5, Euro 34.5 - which means I usually have to make do with size 5 or 35, or kids 2.5 or 3, and retro-fit with inserts and pads. So almost ALL of my shoes would benefit from a set of Stiletto Hardware!

I can think of a few shoes I own that need some minor adjustments, but specifically I'm thinking of a pair of platform sandals. My foot slides down too, and the back strap ends up being really loose no matter how tight I make it in front. (This is hard to explain, I realize.) shealennon@gmail.com

For the last few years I've slippered into wearing only very flat shoes. I'd like to wear some prettier ones and bought some Fluevogs on the internet (I'm in Australia). They are very very nice and I think would cause all sorts of inspiration for my wardrobe. Unfortunately the shoes are slightly too big. Thank you for the shoe fit tutorial.

While many of my shoes need a little help, I would especially love to try these on some strappy wedges I have - my feet slide forward, and because of the placement of the straps, my pinky toes get caught between them and it hurts! snowflakelike@suddenlink.net

Oh man, I'm so excited about that website! I have two pairs of boots that I wear in the winter with thick socks but are just too loose without that extra cushioning. So I'd be all about the ball of foot and heel cushion inserts to make them a little more comfortable year round. Thanks for the super nice offer!martinalynneslifeacademic@gmail.com

I have the most adorable Not Rated heels that I wore at my wedding a few months ago, but haven't worn since because they were too painful after a few hours! I'd love to have these pads to help me wear my awesome shoes again! caitlinjhayes at yahoo dot ca

I have the most awesome pair of black and white Bass oxford heels that are just a teeny bit too big for me because my feet fall pretty smack dab between a 10 and a 11. I got the bigger size but I always have to wear tights with them because otherwise my feet slip around too much. D: These would be the perfect fix!

Psssssssh, girl. I have probably 3-4 pairs of shoes that could use these! I have these awesome magenta heels that I got from Lulus that need more cushioning in the ball of the foot. I also have these wooden Mia heels that definitely need more cushioning too.

Funny, I just heard about Stiletto Hardware for the first time a few days ago and visited their site, and here they are cropping up again! Sadly, I have more than one pair that could use some hardware help, but perhaps the best candidate would be my pretty, chocolate-patent strappy sandals (with a high heel and *no* platform) - a ball-of-foot cushion could really make a difference!

Is there anything worse than stalking and WINNING the gold heels you love on eBay to discover they're doing that sliding down the front thing?Thank you for including us not-from-the-US peeps!ursuline59 at gmail dot com

Thanks to foot surgery at a year old I NEED these products. One foot is a 9 and the other is an 8 1/2. I can't wait to try them in my every day black pumps because trying to find a shoe both my feet like without the help of products like these is impossible. Hope I win! danilynthomas@hotmail.com

funny, i was JUST scoping these out on amazon! i have a few pairs of ill-fitting or treacherously-heeled shoes in desperate need of some added comfort. specifically, i have a pair of suede, wedge lace-up boots that would otherwise be very comfy if they weren't a smidge too big.

I've got several pairs of shoes that would need these! The heel cushion would definitely help with ANY pairs of flats. I almost never wear flats because my heel starts hurting only an hour after putting them on! The ball of foot cushion would be perfect for my pair of white pumps I borrowed from my Mother. She's a size larger than me and it might help fill the "gap" between my heel and the back of the shoe.

My gold Dolce Vita For Target Wedges need these insoles! Although they have pretty decent cushioning, it's not enough because they're a half size too big. I got them on sale for around $8, so I couldn't pass them up. Wearing the insoles would help my feet from slipping & sliding, which causes blisters. =[

Most of my shoes are a little big, since my feet tend to swell sometimes and stretch them out a bit. I'm diabeti and this tends to go along with the condition. I'd love to have these for the days when my feet are normal and all of my shoes slip around.